Where the Wild Things Are

Winning the Caldecott Medal in 1963, this superbly drawn and told tale remains the best-known work of the late Maurice Sendak, beloved by youngsters 4 to 7 and generations of adults as well. From the beginning—"The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him "WILD THING!"—this deceptively simple ten-sentence story deals with childhood anger and imagination both honestly and beautifully. And Sendak's slightly scary but easily tamed monsters (which he stated were modeled after his relatives) remain a particular highlight.